Our Research Lab

The BEAHR Lab conducts research that broadly aims to shift the current biomedical paradigm and integrate a human rights approach in mental health policies and practices. Specifically, their research addresses 1) the ethical and medical-legal issues that arise in organized psychiatry because of academic-industry relationships and 2) the ways in which commercialized science reinforces epistemic injustice and undermines an appreciation for the moral and political context of physical and emotional suffering.

Lisa Cosgrove, Ph.D., the BEAHR Lab Director, is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston where she teaches courses on psychiatric diagnosis and psychopharmacology. She was a Research Fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University (2010-2015) and served as a consultant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, child psychiatrist Dainius Puras (2017-2020). Dr. Cosgrove is co-author, with Bob Whitaker, of Psychiatry under the influence: Institutional corruption, social injury and prescriptions for reform. Her recent publications have addressed the ethical issues that arise with the use of digital phenotyping and digital psychotropic drugs.

Over the last 15+ years, Dr. Cosgrove's research on COI issues and institutional corruption has received significant attention in the national and international media (e.g., The New York Times, Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Medscape, among others). These media outlets have featured articles on her research, as did CBS Radio Canada and Fox News, among others). Additionally, her work on conflict of interest has been featured in documentary films (e.g., Generation RX; the BBC’s Re-Writing the Psychiatrist’s Bible; another BBC documentary, Medicalising Grief; and on RAI, which is the National Public Television of Italy). Dr. Cosgrove and members of the BEAHR Lab have published in high-impact medical journals (e.g., New England Journal of Medicine; the Lancet, the Lancet Psychiatry; Canadian Medical Association Journal, and Annals of Internal Medicine).

The BEAHR Lab Motto: No pressure, only opportunity.

Our TeaM.

Lab Director

Lisa Cosgrove, PhD

Lisa Cosgrove, PhD (she/hers) is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston where she teaches courses on psychiatric diagnosis and psychopharmacology. She was a Research Fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University (2010-2015) and served as a consultant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, child psychiatrist Dainius Puras (2017-2020).

Lab Manager

Gianna D'Ambrozio, LMSW

Gianna D'Ambrozio (she/her) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her research interests are in overprescribing psychotropic medications in marginalized and minoritized populations, particularly in children, and alternative therapeutic interventions.

Lab Member

Farahdeba Herrawi, MA

Farahdeba Herrawi (she/her) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her research interests are immigrant health and human rights.

Lab Member & Fulbright Fellow

Milutin Kostić, MD, PhD

Milutin Kostić, MD, PhD (he/him) is a psychiatrist from Serbia and the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship for the academic year of 2023-2024. Dr. Kostić's main research focus is overprescribing and medicalization of potentially normal human emotions.

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Lab Member

Jenny Logan, JD, MA

Jenny (all pronouns) is Associate Faculty at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and a Ph.D. student in law at Birkbeck College, University of London. Her transdisciplinary research brings together critical law, geography, and psychology to investigate the spatialisation of sexual violence in the contemporary United States.

Lab Member

Lena Matković, MD

Lena Matković (she/her) is a psychiatric trainee at the Institute of Mental Health in Belgrade, and a Master's and PhD student at University of Belgrade, Serbia. For the past two years, Lena has been involved in research on the meta-analysis of different pharmaceuticals, and has interests in social psychiatry, addiction, and overprescribing.

Lab Member

Marija Milovanović

Marija Milovanović (she/her) is a medical doctor working at the Institute of Mental Health in Belgrade, Serbia. She will begin her residency next year. In the fall of 2024, she started a Master's program in Bioethics. Her areas of interest include psychoses, social psychiatry, and civic engagement.

Lab Member

Sarah Gurley-Green, PhD

Sarah Gurley-Green, PhD (she/her) is a researcher in health and death studies. She is the US Ambassador to the Association for the Study of Death and Society. After many years of teaching in health studies programs, Dr. Gurley-Green is taking time to research and pursue an LMHC at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Lab Member

Kaila Pelton-Flavin, BA, BFA

Kaila Pelton-Flavin (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan. Her interests include human rights approaches to mental health and conceptions of psychotic experiences.

Lab Member

Tim McCarthy, BA

Tim McCarthy (he/him) is a Master's student in the Mental Health Counseling program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He serves as Director of Case Management and Director of Development for Craig’s Doors A Home Association Inc. His interests include alternative approaches to SUD & the bidirectional relationship between homelessness and mental illness.

Lab Member

Edie Gobel

Edie Gobel (she/her) is an undergraduate at Arizona State University. Her research interests are human rights, ethical use of medical AI, and mental health.

Lab Member

Connor Sayle

Connor Sayle (he/him) has a bachelor's in neurobiology from UC Davis. He spent the last year at Stanford School of Medicine working on projects in population health, asian health, and medical humanities. His interests include critiquing the biomedical model that is deeply entrenched in psychiatry and psychology.

Lab Member

Sophie Pollack-Milgate

Sophie Pollack-Milgate (she) earned a bachelor's degree in Contemplative Studies in 2023. She works as a Research Associate in bioethics and has interests in the philosophy of psychiatry.

Lab Member

Stella Straub

Stella Straub (she/her) is a senior at Manchester-Essex Regional High School. Her interests include overprescription of psychiatric medications in elderly populations as well as policies and reform related to substance use disorder in the general public.

Lab Member

Maeve Silman

Maeve Silman (she/her) recently graduated from Santa Clara University, where she earned a BS in Public Health Science. Currently working as a clinical assistant at Golden State Orthopedics and Spine, she is preparing to apply to medical school. Her interests include improving health outcomes by addressing the social determinants of health.

Lab Member

Alejandro Baez

Alejandro Baez (he/him) is a researcher with interests in mental health and migrant health. He holds a Bachelors in Community Health and Clinical Psychology from Tufts University.

Lab Member

Ansah Akua Odea Dinah

Ansah Akua Odea Dinah (she/her) is a Psychology graduate from the University of Ghana with an Upper Second Class Honors degree. She has experience as a Clinical Psychologist Assistant at Tema General hospital. Currently, she manages D-Natural Organic and Massaging Wellness center. Ansah is dedicated to helping others achieve emotional and psychological well-being.

Lab Member

James Scimeca

James Scimeca (he/him) is a recent New York University graduate. His research interests include analyzing child and adolescent mental health through a human rights framework and exploring mental health solutions through public policy.

Lab Member

Viven Huang

Vivien Huang (she/her) is an alumna of Washington University in St. Louis. An aspiring clinician and public health professional, she is passionate about healthcare equity and dismantling systems of oppression. Her research interests include school-based mental health, adolescent and pediatric mental health, and centering marginalized people’s lived experiences when studying mental health.

Lab Member

Irakli Begiashvili

Irakli Begiashvili (he/him) is a Political Science student at Davidson College. He has served as a board member of a Political Engagement Club at Davidson. His interests include policymaking, sustainable development, and bioethics. Beyond that, Irakli has experience working at a mental health-oriented NGO in Indonesia and has been involved in establishing an artisan e-commerce platform for a refugee center in Malaysia.

Lab Member

Emma Barham

Emma Barham (she/her) is currently pursuing her BA in Philosophy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, with a focus on the philosophy of mind and mental health, bioethics, legal ethics, and the history of eugenics and mental health care. Her research interests are deeply connected to the ethics and history of mental health care systems, particularly in the context of New York City.